Remote starter

I don't think so.. That is their security so the car can't be stolen.

 

ArturoGT500,

Well I wouldn't bash the car for the Remote Start and Auto Lights.

Honda and Toyota did this shutoff because of concerns of Theft. I don't like that they did it, honestly. I too, know of someone with a new Honda and it does the same thing.

I suppose you could wait until Viper or some other vendor comes out with a compatible unit and see if you can change it out??? I don't know...

As for the Auto lights, certainly not a deal stopper for me. Didn't have them on the Honda Civic Hybrid I traded in for the Prius so...not a big deal really. Sure it would have been nice to have them but then so would the Heads Up Display have been nice to have..

I don't know of any way to circumvent the Stock Remore Start. Unless there is something the Dealer can "program" but you could double check...

Good Luck!

 

I gave up.

The only reason for a remote starter on my G2 was for in the winter, pre-heat the car.

I use a block heater combined with an interior ceramic heater, on a timer.

The newer G3 and the future Prii have a remote heat/remote cool with the remote, that uses the HV battery. Should be sufficient for most people.

 

The last few cars I owned had remote start that did not kill the engine when you open the door and auto head lights.

I fixed the auto headlights issue with an after market auto headlight module. It works well. When XpressKit supports the Prius I will move to a normal remote start that keeps the car running for an unlimited amount of time and will not kill the engine when you start the car.

Programmable Platform #05: Transponder Override Interface

Toyota should let us choose how we want the remote to work. I am really getting fed up with all these safety restrictions we are forced to live with. Look how unsafe the concept of a motorcycle is, yet we are forced to have seat belt beepers, reverse beepers and a car that has to turn off before you enter it.

By the way this is the 1,000th thread on this subject.

 

I agree, used to have them in several cars. Remote started, would turn off if brake was applied without TURNING the key to on.

I agree there should be a better design. I contemplated buying the Toyota one myself for the new prius but since it has a few flaws, I have reconsidered it. On a good note this model surely heats up better with the Exhaust Recirc Unit.
In fact I drive on HI temp and in PWR or NORM it cooks inside, compared to the previous Prius and Honda Civic.

But maybe they will come out with an aftermarket that we can TUNE to our liking better...will have to wait and see..

 

I have the Installed Remote Starter, and as others have said on this forum, it's auto shut-off feature is really a pain. And it makes no sense!
The car is designed not to go ANYWHERE if no key is detected, obviously, if a car thief attempted to open the door and drive off with my Prius he couldn't do it, the car is disabled without the key!
In addition, I find the car STAYS ON if I start the car and forget something, go back into my apartment, come back to the car, open the door, and THE CAR DOESN'T SHUT OFF! So, the stupid Toyota SAFETY FEATURE really doesn't do what it supposed to do all the time, you can work around the feature by remote starting the car, opening the car door, car shuts off, start the car again, go into your house, wait for it to warm up, come out again and get into the car and drive off, because the car doesn't shut off the SECOND time you open the door. The effect of this BOGUS "SAFETY" feature, in the end, is to aggravate the Prius owner!

 

Hmmm. I don't think that is true. Once the car is started, you don't need the key to drive away -- I just did it. It will warn you that no key is detected, but you can still drive away. There have been stories of people driving off without the key....

Yes, if you want to start your Prius and leave it on the street to be stolen, Toyota will let you. Again, you don't need the fob to drive away. But that doesn't really mean that the remote starter routine is "bogus." It just means that you are willing to leave your car running. (And I wouldn't really call it the shutdown a "safety" feature, I view it as primarily anti-theft protection.)

In addition, from other threads I'm not sure if the Prius is fully in Ready mode when using the remote starter. I forget what the answer is on whether the braking system is pressurized etc. It would seem wasteful to start everything up when not needed. So you may need to actually restart the car to even be able to drive away.

Maybe the real issue is the misleading name. It's not really as much of a remote starter as it is a remote HVAC starter.

Anyway, I have no problems with it (other than getting the hang of the button pushing sequence) and I really don't understand the frustration with the shutdown. The complaint seems to be that you have to push the START button after you get into the car. How big of a "pain" can that possibly be? It's not like you have to even reach into your pocket and find your keys.

 

I have a new 2010 Prius with remote start and the sunroof. I am having very inconsistent results using the remote start to warm the car up on these cold mornings. Most of the time the car starts for just a second and then turns off. Other times it works fine. When I took it to the dealer they tried it several times and it worked just fine. The very next morning - same inconsistent results. HELP....

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the remote start on the solar roof cars for purposes of A/C only, to allow it to run off the batteries for a few minutes? It's not really the same as the remote start option available as an add-on for the other models (which is what is being discussed in this thread). I'm not sure the other remote start option is available on the solar models, but my guess would be yes. FWIW, not worth it IMHO (speaking as one who paid for it).

 

Thanks - I am talking about the remote start for the actual car engine to run the heater, etc... (not talking about the solar cooling fan). But I am guessing that I may be having some interaction between the two that is making the remote start for the heater not work right??? I'm hoping some else has both and can figure out why I'm having mixed results.

 

Well, I can tell you the timing of the button presses has to be just right for the engine to turn on. 2 quick presses of the LOCK button, followed by another quick press, at which point you should get the confirming flashing of lights. Can be a PITA to hit it just right. I assume the dedicated remote button for the solar cars only does the A/C thing.

 

Does the dealer installed remote starter use a dedicated fob or is the OEM fob just reprogramed? Negating one more thing on the keyring. Thanks.

 

They just use the normal OEM fob. 2 quick presses of the lock button, followed by a 3rd press.

 

Thank you.

Unlock car. Get in. Foot on brake. Press button. It's the same whether or not you have the remote start and whether or not you have the vehicle remote started or not.

Vehicles with keys require you to put the key in the ignition and turn it to the ON position when you get into it after a remote start command...why wouldn't the Prius require you to put it in the ON position as well?

 

I totally disagree. The car is full of convenience features. Heated seats, power windows, intermediate wipers, power steering, power brakes, auto door locks, ect… Leaving the car running should part of that group.

Having to turn car off after you use remote start it is foolish at many levels. Yes it is true that someone can break the window and drive off with the car without FOB. They can also pull up with a tow truck and drag the car away. If someone wants your car they can get it.

I believe the best solution would require the door to be open with the FOB nearby and the car should just keep running. If someone breaks the window and does not have FOB to unlock the door the engine should turn off.

 

You're missing my point (or maybe I'm not making myself clear).

Everyone seems to be complaining about two things -- the logic and the steps. While we might take (valid) exception to the logic of the operation, the steps required to drive off in the car are the same, whether the car has been remote-started or not.